Forever Yours
by MeerkatJo
Summary: Just a bit of Sybil/Branson fluff about Branson going to fight! Complete fluff and  hopefully  completely adorable!
1. Other Chauffeurs

Prologue

Ever since Branson had told Sybil in the car a few weeks ago that he'd signed up and he was leaving, he couldn't look her straight in the eye. Of course he wanted to; how he'd wanted to lose himself in her deep sky blue eyes, but he knew he couldn't bear to see the disappointment in her soul. She was almost in tears by the time they'd arrived back and he'd never seen her so gloomy. Journeys alone with her since then had been deathly silent apart from the polite thank you every now and again. He could still sense her gaze on him in the wing mirror out of the corner of his eye, but he couldn't bring himself to smile back and face the heartache. In any case, he assumed that's what she would have wanted. Silence. She probably thought him an idiot that he was flirting with someone so much higher above him in his lowly working class. He tried not to bother himself too much with the question of whether she felt the same as connection between them, but rather how on earth he was going to say goodbye.

It was a question that had been tossing and turning in his mind all through that last night at Downton; he couldn't sleep a wink and he too closely resembled a panda that next morning. He splashed some water on his face, got dressed in an ordinary suit, packed his things and left his uniform hanging in the wardrobe. As he made his way over to the servant's quarter's he spotted the new chauffeur making his way over to the garage to bring round the car. Would Sybil enjoy her journeys with the new man as much as she enjoyed theirs? Does she always flirt with the chauffeur and has she always done that? Was he just one in a long line of chauffeurs to have fallen for her sweet smile, her beautiful face and her heart stopping voice? The worst feeling of jealousy began to build in his gut as he made his way into the servant's quarters. From there he met Thomas and William who were also leaving today, and they chatted together as they walked upstairs and out onto the drive. All the staff and the family had lined up outside to wish them goodbye and God speed, but the whole world stopped as his eyes rested on Sybil and her miserable expression as she kept her vision straight ahead of her.

Sybil knew she couldn't keep this façade up much longer; she so desperately wanted to know why all of a sudden he'd become all cold towards her, but she knew it wasn't "proper" to ask such a personal question to someone who should be no more personal to her than any of the other members of staff. She gave in to her emotions and she glanced up at his face as he was making his way along the line. He turned his face away from her as soon as he noticed that she was looking at him, and he returned to shaking hands and saying goodbye to the members of staff. To Mrs Patmore, To Daisy, to Ethel, to O'Brien, to Anna, to Bates, to Mrs Hughes, to Mr Carson…to Sybil. He froze in his tracks at the sight of Sybil standing there in line with staff and family. He bowed to her, looking up and trying to not make eye contact, but it was no good, he couldn't try any more. He caught her vision and in that one moment, he saw all the fear in her eyes that he had for what seemed like such a long time been trying to avoid. The despair, the heartbreak, the hopelessness of the whole situation between them. But it answered one question; he wasn't just another chauffeur to her. As they shook each other's hands, he felt a small piece of paper slide into his palm and he discreetly tucked it into his right pocket. He looked at her for the last time before moving onto Lady Edith and Mary, Lady Grantham and his Lordship. Once he'd made his way down the line, he hopped into the back of the car and that was it. No going back now. He pulled out the paper and read the words, _Write to me!_

_Sybil_

How could he resist that? It filled him with such hope, knowing that whenever the war would get too much, he could always escape in the words of the lady he loved.

* * *

><p><strong>Just another bit of SybilBranson fluff i thought i'd write! Got a bit of insperation after hearing some of the spoilers for series 2 on the special Downton Abbey programme on BBC Radio 5Live. Don't mean to advertise, but i've made a video called "Forever Yours" about these two and it's on youtube now so take a lookie if you want!**

**Jo x  
><strong>


	2. Predicting The Future

Standing outside in the cold night air; observing the stars up above with nothing but a skinny cardigan to drape over her pale shoulders, Sybil's mind quickly wandered back to the time when she last gazed up at them. When she first realised that she loved Tom. She couldn't keep him out of her mind. When his last letter was handed to her at breakfast, she could almost feel his soft hands which had folded it up and sealed it so neatly. She could feel his affection for her emanating off the paper as she got lost in his words in the privacy of her own room (if she'd even attempted to read it at breakfast she was sure her parents would've enquired about the writer of such a letter that made her smile from ear to ear). But that was a month or so back now, and Sybil couldn't admit that she wasn't the slightest bit worried for him. Nevertheless, she didn't bother herself too much with such a question, as she knew he was strong enough to take anything life threw at him.

_Sybil heard a twig snap behind her as she was standing outside in the darkness, gazing at the stars. She quickly rotated round on her right foot, only to see the back of a very familiar person walking back towards the house._

"_Branson! I didn't know you_"_

"_No it's my fault entirely milady." He said as he turned back round to face her._

"_Really, there's nothing to be sorry for." She paused for a moment before saying, "Come here for a moment," and ushering him near with her index finger. He came and stood right beside her._

"_What are we looking at milady?" He whispered as he watched her gaze rise from his eyes to the sky above._

"_Up there…Orion. See?" She looked at his bizarre expression as he tried to make out the constellation. It almost made her burst out in giggles._

"_The one that looks like a wonky egg time?" He joked as he looked into her eyes._

"_A wonky egg timer?" She couldn't hold the laughter in anymore and she burst out with a lung full of giggles._

"_Well it does doesn't it? You got the bit in the middle where it goes in a bit and the two large ends!" Seeing her radiant smile lit up the darkness more than all the stars up above, and hearing her sweet laugh meant he had to do the same otherwise he would burst._

"_See there is Orion, there he's holding a lion in his hand and a club in the other."_

"_Ah! Of course. Makes more sense than an egg timer I suppose." Sybil smiled at him again._

"_The myth is that he fell in love with Merope, the daughter of King Oenopion. However, her father wouldn't give his consent for the marriage and he made Orion blind." As she finished the sentence, it dawned on her the reality of the situation they were both in, unable to say how they really felt._

"_Can you tell what your future holds just by looking at the stars here?" He questioned her._

"_Can anyone?" She looked at him with a sense of meaning to what she had just said. "Can anyone predict what will happen to them? Even based on probability and chance?" Tom felt uncomfortable under her gaze whilst talking about this clearly distressing topic, so he glance away momentarily to shake her beautifully hypnotic gaze. "But I know you can by reading the dead flies on the car windscreen."_

"_Ha! Can I now? Well that's be a first. I know you can predict the future from…the number on a policeman's uniform as you're being dragged away from the riot and into prison!" He smiled at her again, this time gently placing his arm on her shoulder for a moment._

"_Is that what you think of me? Is that what you think I am?" She flashed him an inquisitive smile._

"_No! Of course not, I mean, I think you're…" He paused before he said too much._

"_Yes?" Sybil could feel her breath hitch and the craziest feeling in her stomach as she hung onto every word he said._

"_Well, I think that you are…" He took a deep breath, he mentally prepared himself to get a slap in the face and spoke, "the mos_"_

"_Lady Sybil?" Anna called out into the darkness, as Sybil gave Tom one last smile before calling out,_

"_I'm coming!" and making her way indoors._

"Lady Sybil?" Anna was doing exactly the same thing. Sybil's flashback was broken as the same piercing call came flooding into her ears.

"I'm coming!" She replied before heading towards the house.

Later that evening when the family was in the middle of eating their traditional roast, Carson burst in with a telegram in hand.

"For you milord." He spoke with the most decorum a man of his age could manage after walking at such a speed. Robert carefully ripped open the envelope and read to himself. The whole table had gone silent and sat there expecting to hear what was clearly important news. Robert's head fell into his free hand before declaring,

"It is with great sadness that I regret to announce the death of Corporal Thomas Branson, the Royal Irish Regiment."

Silence. All Sybil could hear was silence apart from her racing heart thumping away beneath her chest. She couldn't stand it a moment longer. Without any warning, she jumped up from her seat, stormed out the dining room, ran up the stairs, into her room and collapsed on her bed before bursting into heart-wrenching tears and leaving everybody at the table in utter shock.

"Why in heaven's name would Sybil do something like that?" Robert turned to his wife.

"My darling, she's lost a friend. It's completely natural that she's in shock."


	3. Crying Women

**No Branson in this chapter i'm afraid (surpirse surprise!) but a lot about how the news of his death affects the family ad particularly Sybil. But don't worry! Things start to pick up at the arrival of some injured soldiers to Downton.**

**Jo x**

* * *

><p>Sybil woke at the sound of birds the next morning, and for the first time in her life, it sounded to her as if they were singing a requiem of sorrow, instead of their usual hallelujah chorus. She couldn't bear to face the world that morning; not after the heart stopping news she'd heard just last night. Reaching over to pull the bell chord, she heard the sound of footsteps outside her room, before pausing at the sound of a knock on the door.<p>

"Milady?" Anna knocked again. "Milady are you awake?"

"Yes Anna. It's fine. Come in." As she entered, Sybil turned to face the fireplace to hide the small tears that were beginning to well up inside her blood-shot eyes.

"Milady, I'm here to dress you in your mourning clothes today. Everybody in the house has been told to wear black. Also, our first lot of injured soldiers are arriving today, so although we'll be in mourning, we'll have to look our cheeriest for those brave lads." Anna made her way over to the lady, but stopped in her tracks at the sound of a gasping cry.

"Milady? Are you alright?" Sybil turned round, revealing her pouring eyes and overheated face.

"I did love him!" Sybil declared as her voice shattered into pieces. Anna wasn't taken aback by this anguished declaration of love; she'd suspected something between the two of them ever since Branson had been pacing up and down the staff dining room the night Sybil had been knocked unconscious at the riot. She did however feel the need to walk forward towards her, stretch out an arm around her and let her weep into her shoulder. Anna had never seen someone so distraught, but she knew full well that the best thing to say to a person in extreme grief is absolutely nothing. Heart wrenching sobs of breathlessness could be heard outside in the hallway, until Anna finally persuaded Sybil to hold everything back for a little while, get changed and go downstairs for something to eat.

* * *

><p>"Good morning Sybil." His lordship uttered as she entered into the dining room in her full black gown.<p>

"Good morning papa," She acknowledged her father's presence, "Mama," Before acknowledging her mother's.

"Are you alright this morning my dear?" Cora gave Sybil a reassuring voice.

"I'm fine mama, no need to worry." Sybil grabbed a plate full of bacon and hash browns, before piling a mountain of sauce onto her plate, filling her glass full to the brim of champagne, marching to her seat and sitting down. She loaded a fork-full of bacon into her mouth in a hurry to get away from the last people in the world she wanted to break down in tears in front of; not if they knew it was all because of their late chauffeur.

"Sybil, you know you're going to get heartburn if you eat that much that fast."

"Mama, to be honest, I couldn't care a fig about heartburn this morning." Sybil lowered a fork on its way to the mouth as she spoke.

"Darling are you sure you're alright?" Her father questioned.

"My love you do look a bit red in the cheeks." Cora spoke.

"I'm fine! Look at me, I'm fine! Will people please stop worrying about me and getting in my way!" Sybil dropped her knife and fork with an almighty crash as she jumped up from her seat and stormed out the room again. Cora and Robert looked at each other concerned and wondered if they would ever have a normal meal at the table without someone charging out ever again.

* * *

><p>Later that afternoon, Sybil stood by the door, counting the young men walking, limping, hopping their way through the door and ticking each one off with their name, information and army number on her long list.<p>

"That's all of 'em Mr Carson." A tired voice echoed round the entrance hall.

"Thank you Taylor. You've been a great asset to us since poor Mr Branson left us a few months ago." Sybil's eyes darted up to the green figure by standing by the door. For a brief moment she thought she saw him, she thought by some miracle everything was the way it was before her world came tumbling down those few months ago when he admitted he'd volunteered. But her eyes focused properly and she saw the old, familiar face of Taylor standing there instead. She had some fond memories of growing up with Taylor sitting in the driver's seat, but none fonder than those she'll remember for the rest of her life, those with Tom in.

"Are you alright miss?" One soldier spoke as her eyes darted back again to the one legged soldier in front of her. Her heart picked up pace at the hint of an Irish brogue. Or was it her imagination? She couldn't tell anymore. It had felt like so long since she'd heard one as comforting as that.

"Oh, yes. I'm fine. Your name please?"

"Sergeant Brian Duffy, Royal Irish Regiment." She looked at his leg again, and she stared at his scolded face. She could see it all so clearly, it was all too vivid for her. Tom lying in some hellish trench somewhere in the middle of nowhere; his leg blown off and bleeding to death with nobody to help him. Nobody to hear his agonizing cries.

"Brian Duffy. Good to see you alive." Her voice cracking again as a few small tears escaped. He fidgeted and fumbled as he stood there nervous before saying,

"I'm not exactly good with crying women, ask my wife!" He joked before she let out a small chuckle.

"Here," He pulled out a small hanky from his pocket, holding it out for her, "take this." She quietly thanked him, took the hanky, wiped her eyes on it and offered it to him again.

"No, it's alright. You take it. My friend in the trenches gave it to me after I found out my father had died from cancer. Couldn't hold 'em in you see! I'm sure if I tell him that I gave it to a beautiful young lady in need of something to sob against then I'm sure he won't complain in the slightest."

"You shouldn't compliment me so Sergeant! As you said, your wife will weep and you're not very good around crying women are you?" She smiled at him; tucking the hanky away. "You're in cot number eight in the drawing room, straight ahead."

"Thank you miss!"

"No, thank you Sergeant!" She replied as he hopped off towards his cot. She was glad that in such a distressing time as losing the one you loved, she'd found a friend to help cheer her up, and hopefully in time she would heal him back to full health so he can go home to Mrs Duffy; preventing her from feeling the same pain that she was feeling right now.

* * *

><p>A week passed and one Saturday morning, Robert sat in his crowded study full off relaxing soldiers reading, writing, playing Bridge and Poker. He sat at his study, carefully examining the medical journals that had been given to the Downton to study, when all of a sudden his bubble of calm and tranquillity was burst at the low, piercing sound of Carson echoed round his ears.<p>

"The records of the soldiers arriving today milord. I believe you wanted to see them."

"Yes, thank you Carson. Be sure the beds in the Arundel and Stanhope rooms are ready for them at 2 o'clock. We wouldn't want them to have to wait around for a free bed."

"Very good Milord."

"Thank you Carson." And with that, the butler left him to his study. Robert began to read up on the men and assign them to different rooms. There weren't many to look at, but as he reached the bottom of the small pile, his brow furrowed at the words assembled together before him.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed it! more to come of course. Please review if you have the time! I'm sure you're aware how much reviews mean to us fellow writers.<strong>


	4. Doing Rounds

**Sorry for such a long wait! Been on 'oliday! I know i've probably broken you're heart with this story, but i hope this chapter more than makes up for it...so enjoy!**

**Jo x**

* * *

><p>The next morning passed as usual as any other since the house had been turned into a convalescent home. The house would slowly awake, starting with poor Daisy (who was almost engaged to William by now), and finishing with his Lordship and the wounded soldiers who would sleep at various times all through the day. The dazzling sunlight shone through the windows and drapes as Robert made his way into the dining room and sat down, shortly followed by Isis, who came and sat underneath his chair, gazing up at him, begging for some delicious bacon to grace over her lips. The rest of the family were already diving into their food; consuming all the energy they would need for yet another exhausting day of tending to their guests. Robert was about to fork a small piece of hash brown into his mouth, but he hesitated as he spoke,<p>

"Sybil dear," Sybil looked pulled her glass of orange juice away from her lips, "I'm sorry I dragged you away from your welcoming duty yesterday before they arrived."

"That's alright papa." She replied with a faint smile before taking another sip.

"I have organised your rounds for today so that you can attend to the ones you didn't welcome yesterday. You'll be helping the men in the drawing room, Arundel room and the Stanhope room. Is that alright my dear?"

"That's rather a lot of people to nurse isn't it? I'm sorry but I'm not sure I can go round all of them in a day." She put her glass down.

"The Arundel room only has five men in there at the moment, and the Stanhope room but one. I'm sure that will be fine won't it?"

"Yes that will be fine. Now if you excuse me papa," Sybil placed her napkin on the table and got up, "I've got rounds to do!" She declared with the usual sense of excitement she got whenever she knew she would be nursing someone back to health. Wiping away any last remains of breakfast around her mouth, she picked up her medical kit, tied her hair covering a bit tighter so none of her lengthy, dark hair would fall onto fresh wounds and headed of to the drawing room.

* * *

><p>"Now, Captain Barker, what can I do for you today?" She came over to the young man lying in a cot in the far corner of the room with her "beside manner" smile that she was told was necessary when visiting any patient.<p>

"Well, what a lovely nurse you are! I can tell you what would make me feel better."

"And what would that be?" She leaned over him and placed a thermometer in his mouth in the hope that he wouldn't be able to give what was inevitably going to be some smutty reply. He untucked one of his hands from underneath the bed sheets and pulled it out.

"You could give us a kiss for a start!" He gave a smug smile.

"A start!" Sybil gave a half-hearted laugh, "Captain Barker, I think you forget that we've only just met!" She grabbed hold of the thermometer from his hand and placed it back in his mouth. "Try kissing that for now, yes?" He rolled his eyes and after half a minute, she pulled it out again and read the mercury. "Hmm…it says that you've still got a high temperature, but if you're making smutty comments like that then I'm not too sure that you're so ill after all!" She said with a faint smile as she gave the thermometer a quick clean with a cloth, placed it back in her kit and began to move onto the next patient.

"Oh! But please miss! I'm a sick, sick man! I need a nurse to make me feel better!"

"Go back to sleep Barker and dream of another nurse!" She replied as she began to check on the next patient's wounds. "Mental note," she muttered to herself, "get Dr Clarkson to take care of him next time."

"What was that nurse?" The next soldier said to her.

"Oh, nothing It doesn't matter…Major O'Brien? Is that your name?"

"Yes miss." He said wearily as she changed his bandages of his arms.

"My mother's lady's maid is called O'Brien, odious woman! I'm sure your kin of O'Brien's are much nicer!" She grinned.

"Yes yes, I can't think of a nicer family in Dublin." Her ears pricked up.

"You come from Dublin? No one would be able to tell with your English accent."

"Oh yes, well, my family and I grew up in England, but we moved to Ireland when I was thirteen."

"Well, that makes sense then." She thought for a moment before saying, "I don't suppose you know a family called the_" She paused.

"The_?" He asked. A lump formed in her throat and she could hardly pronounce the name.

"The…the Bransons?" It came out all strained.

"Hmm…name sounds familiar. Might've been in my regiment. We suffered heavy losses that day, not sure who survived." She almost broke into tears that very moment, but she managed to hold them back by changing the subject.

"There we go. All done. I'll come and change them again later today. Is that fine?"

"Yes miss." She got up from her seat next to him and picked up her kit. That was all the people in the drawing room done. Next she decided she would attend the poor lad all on his own in the Stanhope room.

* * *

><p>"Now, what brave soldier do we have in here_" She walked into the room before stopping dead in her tracks at the sight of soldier. He stood up from the bed with a walking stick in one hand, grabbed hold of the chest of drawers next to him and leant against them; he leant his walking sick beside him and looked up at her. Words couldn't express how relieved he was to see her again, that he smiled so much that Sybil could see his rotten, yellow teeth.<p>

"Sybil!" He exclaimed, whilst she stood their frozen. She dropped her medical kit with an almighty crash that almost made Tom collapse under the pressure on his legs. Even the noise didn't wake her from her emotionless, mouth-open, wide-eyed expression.

"Sybil, are you well? You look like you've just seen a ghost!" He joked.

"You…you mean you're not?" Tom picked up his walking stick and took one step towards her. "Don't come any closer! I'm dreaming, that's it. This is all just some crazy dream." She mumbled as she turned round to face the door which had closed shut on its own.

"Sybil, look at me!" She cautiously turned round to gaze at him; tears in her eyes. "What are you talking about?" She let out a few sniffles before stuttering,

"I…I mean…we...we were told at dinner…papa got a telegram saying you'd been killed!" Her anguished cry after she'd spoken told him how much she'd been suffering and how broken her heart had been. He let out a small chuckle.

"I'm not dead!" He spoke gently before giving a small smile to her.

"Well I can see that!" She burst into tears, and Branson didn't know whether they were tears of pain or tears of joy. He stepped back and leant himself and his walking stick against the drawers again.

"Come here." He said softly as he caught her clouded, teary vision. Her heart almost skipped a beat as she looked deep into his soul for the first time in what felt like years. Taking a few careful steps towards him, she felt she couldn't hold in her joy. She rushed towards him; almost jumped into his arms and he lifted her up, being careful not to collapse or lose his balance as he so easily did these days. "There must have been some clerical error, they must have meant my brother."

"You're brother? Oh I'm so sorry!" She spoke into his ear.

"Don't be. I've come to terms with it now. It was his own fault for being too brave and courageous."

"I thought I had lost you!" She smiled.

"Sshh. Everything's fine now." He whispered.

"We're together again." She whispered back. "I stormed out of dinner when I heard the news." She declared before he let out a small laugh.

"Did you now? I bet your parents turned red with anger!"

"No, they didn't actually. They knew that I'd lost a friend."

"Huh! Just friends indeed." He whispered again. She looked at his eyes again before giving a quick chuckle. Oh how she'd missed his beautiful accent!

"Just friends indeed!" She replied as she slowly gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. She moved her kisses over his face; forehead, nose, other cheek, until she came to his lips. But he beat her to it and quickly placed his lips on hers. It caught her by surprise, but as soon as the shock died down, she began to sink deeper and deeper into the kiss, deeper and deeper into his arms. As soon as they pulled apart for air, Tom carefully placed her down on the ground again, but his arms still remained around her, and they still remain close; forehead to forehead. They both let out a breathless giggle.

"I love you, Lady Sybil." He whispered to her.

"I love you Tom Branson. And that's enough of the formality yes?" She spoke as he chuckled again.

"I couldn't bare being parted from you out there on the front_" He was interrupted.

"No and I couldn't bare it here! The constant chatter of meaningless nothings. I missed my main source of political news." He smiled at her enthusiasm before continuing,

"And…and I know this may sound a bit forward of me and…and rushed but…will you marry me Sybil Crawley?" She kept a straight face and Tom didn't know what to make of her expression again.

"Hmm…now I'll just have to think about that for a moment." She looked at him again. She saw a look of despair and disappointment flash across his face for a brief moment, prompting her to reply, "Do you really think I would ever say no? You daft leprechaun you!" They both broke down in giggles.

"Oh! I'm a leprechaun now am I? Just because I'm Irish?"

"Yes, but you're my daft leprechaun! Because we will be husband and wife!"

"Don't you mean leprechaun and wife?" He smiled before giving her another kiss.

She did eventually get round to assessing his wounds and changing his bandages.

* * *

><p><strong>I couldn't keep him dead now could I? Please review if you have the time!<strong>

**:D**


End file.
